Let's Talk Preaching Style

I can't tell you how many times when I asked the question, what did your pastor preach about Sunday? An answer I have heard too many times was, I don't remember what he preached about, but he sure did preach. And as some of my friends in ministry might say in those Sunday evening and Monday morning conversations, I set the pulpit on fire. However, all of us must answer the question, did my sermon do anything other than give my members a spiritual high, with nothing of substance to carry them through the week. Ralph Felton in his book, These My Brethren points out that many rural black preachers have learned by imitating others and developed a pattern of preaching which gets a response from their hearer. They believe their hearers need to have their emotions stirred. Harry Richardson in his book Dark Glory states. If preaching is not related to the problems of daily life, it is preaching in the air. It might be quiet popular and powerful and may lift its hearers to emotional heights, but when the service is over, it leaves them to descend into the same problems they left before going to church. Even Jesus said. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your MIND. Matthew 22:37 NIV. So if we continue to follow. Continue to give the few that expect it, sermons that in no way engage the mind, we are disobeying Jesus. But the more troubling fact is, we are enforcing the perverted theology that said we were less than human. That should not be taught to read and write, and that we could not think. Yes, sermons should be powerful Sermons should lift the spirits. Nobody comes to church on Sunday morning expecting a lecture. However, are you being faithful, if you are on tugging on the heartstrings of broken people and given them nothing to ponder, nothing to hold on to for a week? They deserved more. We owe them more. Are you willing to make that effort? The existence of the Church and your surrounding community just might depend on it. Take the time. Develop the text. You will feel better about yourself and I know that God will be pleased. Please feel free to comment. At this time all comments are anonymous. Your comments won't hurt my feeling and I won't know who made them.

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